Unloading fly ash

Should go quickly as cement. Top air of course is not needed. Just causes problems. 8 lbs will unload it just fine. A lot depends on what you are unloading into. Small, clogged up lines or bags ....
I usually ran 12 to 15 lbs at large solo and 8 to 10 at small town cement plants.
That stuff is fine dust. It don't take much to blow it off.
It gets hard with moisture. Clogs you up. Open your product valve hatches and make sure opening is not clogged up. Beat the sides of trailer with mallet to break out stuck in mess inside. Watch your vibrators ,make sure working. Hose should be vibrating and hot.them hoses between vibrates also fill full of cement that hardens. Squeeze them. Replace if hard.
Average unload is about an hour. Sometimes 30 minutes or 1 1/2 hours. More than an hour at a good facility is a problem.

 

Exactly. I had to have one valve at about 1/4 open at 15 lbs. Some places I could go almost half or even full. Depends on the facility.
That discharge line should be jumping some. If it ain't and it is hard, you got too much product flowing. I always step on mine to fell the flow and make sure it is not hard or too soft.

 

Absolutely correct and a great answer.
Every trailer is different as is every facility. Also the blower set up.
I like air valves that have the notches that look like a fine toothed gear. More notches are better. Half a notch on air valve can make a difference for sure.

 

^^^^^winner winner!!!^^^^^^

I haul a lot of fly ash in the winter. Some of our trucks we unload fly ash with the engine at an idle. Others at 800 or so, all depends on the blower - we use Gardner Denver and Tuthill blowers.

More speed, high pressure, trying to force it out the trailer, I've tried it all to decrease unload times. The best thing I've found is slow down the blower speed. Too much air going through the bottom pipe will slow you down every time.

An old fellow that trained me told me " sometimes ya gotta slow down to go faster". I never got what he meant until I tried it.

 

Very true. The guy who taught me said 8 lbs. That was at a quick unload place. You always got to play around and learn each place. And always check your trailer for clogs and leaks.

 

Try unloading with your line air off, just opushing with a little airator and top air, use the line air to atart then work the line air back to off, I used to unload the Trona Flyash this way, unloaded fairly quick.

 

I know this is a older thread but does fly ash load like cement? All through the center hole of a 3 pod trailer?

 

In most cases, yes it loads the same. I've hauled some already that it was light enough you had to close your lid and pressurize the trailer, then release the pressure and load more just to make weight. I don't think I've ever had to load in more than one hole though.

 

We always did, in 1040cf 3-pod trailers.